Machine knitting

ABSTRACT

Tubular fabric is warp-knitted to have a plurality of narrow openings or tubular portions spaced laterally apart at an end of a single wide tubular portion and oriented parallel or perpendicular to that wide end. Knit articles are so formed with continuity of knitting action and stitch throughout and are useful for garments in which the wide tubular portion surrounds at least part of the trunk or body of a wearer thereof and the narrow openings or tubular portions accommodate adjacent parts of the wearer&#39;&#39;s limbs. Examples include tights, panties, panty hose, panty girdles, leotards, undershirts, sweaters, ski pants, and similar outer and undergarments.

United States Patent [1 1 Titone [451 Nov. 27, 1973 MACHINE KNITTING Inventor: Seymour C. Titone, Birchrunville,

[73] Assignee: Techniprises Company, Malvern.

[22] Filed: Mar. 1, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 119,616

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 705,377, Feb. 14, 1968, Pat. No. 3,566,619, Continuation-in-part of S61. No. 694,655, Dec. 29, I967.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,040,058 5/1936 Mendel et a1 66/ 170 2,990,703 7/1961 Bialostok 66/82 X OTHER PUBLICATIONS Publication, The Hosiery Trade Journal, Paschel Seamless Tights, Vol. 74, No. 888, Dec. 1967, pp. 1l6l17 Hudson, J. 0., Knitted Outerwear Times, Raschel Pantyhose and Pantygirdle", pp. 49 to 56.

Primary ExaminerRonald Feldbaum Attorney-McClure & Millman [57] ABSTRACT Tubular fabric is warp-knitted to have a plurality of narrow openings or tubular portions spaced laterally apart at an end of a single wide tubular portion and oriented parallel or perpendicular to that wide end. Knit articles are so formed with continuity of knitting action and stitch throughout and are useful for garments in which the wide tubular portion surrounds at least part of the trunk or body of a wearer thereof and the narrow openings or tubular portions accommodate adjacent parts of the wearer's limbs. Examples include tights, panties, panty hose, panty girdles, leotards, un-

3,429,147 2/1969 Perrier 66/195 dershirts, sweaters, ski pants, and similar outer and 3,555,853 1/1971 Diehl et a1.. 66/87 undergarments. 3,590,603 7/1971 Jackson 66/195 3 Claims, 27 Drawing Figures FOREIGN PATENTS OR'APPLICATIONS 1,595,181 7/1970 France 66/177 1,143,424 10/1957 France 66/195 szcono FlRST BAND BAND e A i- I I l l' BAROUT g i \i El 1 {i BAROUT 0 000OQoO0OA\oOo00i ooOooooO\ ooooollooooooo 00000 2 2- ocooo ooooop 00000" i 0 0006 0 002 l I L 51 100 I 00 Q foes: [00000000 )0000 l 2 2 i I [010 Eo'o 4 2 1 1 0 0', or. W 2 z |:oO0o0I[oo0ooo!! 4 i g. 11 o 2 2 ooooo'r ocoooonoooooll gio ooooj oooooo z O0Oo0 00000 0] 00000![0 0 0 \\oo0o0 0|OOO0oo\00000 2 2 I 1: 11 B our 2 I II I ll ll 1: I L

memmm aar zrrzsms asesstzsxzsse Mmhm'onnmmmmnn NNNNNNNNNNNNN PMENTEDNBYZY I973 3,774 415 SHEET 2 0F 6 m. x r! (C/W. DO: nmq kww LLCDLLCDLLCDLLGJLUQLLQLLQB-(flu ATTORNEY- PAIENIEnnnvzv ms 37749416 SHEET 5 BF 6 rrow/Ev;

PAIENIEDImvm I973 3774.416 SHEET 8 BF 6 FIRST BAND .STAETING LINK LEFT DRUM WRIGHT DRU LEFT SIDE ENTER RIGHT SIDE ooool 0 000 000000 OOOO N NNNN Il ooooo oooooo max me SEYMOUR C. TITONE MACHINE KNITTING This is a continuation-in-part of my copending U. S. Pat. application filed on Feb. 14 1968 as Ser. No. 705,377, now U. S. Pat. No. 3,566,619 (which is incorporated herein by reference) which itself was a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 694,655 filed Dec. 29 1967, of which the present application is also a continuation-in-part.'

This invention relates to machine knitting of tubular fabric, including interchanging or converting with continuity of knitting action and stitch between forming a wide tubular portion and forming at least two narrow openings or tubular portions spaced laterally apart. at an end thereof and oriented parallel or perpendicular to that end. I I

My aforementioned patent applications disclose means and methods for forming bifurcated tubular knit articles, such as tights, panty hose, or the like, both with and without spacing of the narrow tubular portions laterally apart from one another at their junction to the wide tubular portion. The present invention provides an improvement thereover especially desirable in the formation of those and similar types of garments by reason of their improved fit to the configuration fo the human body.

A primary object of the present invention is formation of warp-knit fabric articles having a wide tubular portion adapted to surround at least a portion of a persons body or trunk and having a' plurality of narrower openings or tubular portions spaced apart side-by-side and adapted to accommodate limbs of the wearer.

' Another object'is provision of such articles having a medial opening or tubular portion to accommodate the neck of a person and having adjacent parallel openings or tubular portions to accommodate the wearers arms.

A further object is provision of similar warp-knit tubular articles having perpendicular or laterally oriented openings to accommodate the wearer's arms.

Other objects of the present invention, together with means and methods for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying diagrams.

FIG. 1 is a view of a product of this invention as produced in band form, shown partly broken away to conserve space;

FIG. 2a is a similar view of a garment, useful as panty hose, cut from the product of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 2b is a similar view of another garment, useful as a panty girdle, cut from the product of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 20 is a like view of a similarly produced legless panty garment.

FIG. 3 is a threading diagram for the aforementioned product on a double needlebed machine; and

FIG. 4 is a point pattern. or stitch diagram for the respective yarn guide bars in formation of such product.

FIGS. 5a and 5b are, respectively, a plan viewand a point pattern or stitch diagram in the vicinity of the medialpart of a wide tubular fabric portion;

FIGS. 6a and 6b are similar views of two side-by-side narrow tubular fabric portions;

FIGS. 7a and 7b are similar views of parts of spaced parallel fabric panels disjoined at their adjacent edges;

FIGS. 8a and 8b are similar views of a single pair of spaced fabric strips formed from junction of each lateral pair in FIGS. 7a and 7b; and

FIGS. 9a and 9b are similar views of a single fabric strip made by lateral junction of the pair of strips in FIGS. 8a and 8b.

FIG. 10 is a threading diagram suitable for warpknitting the foregoing fabric constructions; and

FIG. 11 is a point pattern or stitch diagram for such a product.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to the upper part of FIG. 1 but showing the medial portion thereof also tubular;

FIG. 13 is a view similar'to the rest of FIG. 1 but showing the medial portion tubular but wider than the narrow tubular medial portion shown in FIG. 12; and

7 FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a sleeved sweater made from the article of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a stitch diagram for part of the product shown in the foregoing views.

FIG. 16 is .a threading diagram suitable for warpknitting tubular fabric articles having laterally oriented openings as shown in subsequent views;

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of a garment blank for a sleeveless sweater made according to a further modification of this invention;

FIG. 18 is a front elevational view of another sleeveless sweater-like garment blank made according to this invention;

FIG. 19 is a similar view, partly cut away, of a leotard-like garment blank of the invention; and

FIG. 20 is a legend keyed to FIGS. 5a and b through 9a and b for interpreting the constructions shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, especially.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished in a class of knit articles comprising a wide tubular portion adapted to surround at least part of the body or trunk of a person and having at its end or ends narrow openings or tubular portions to accommodate the wearers limbs. Such articles may be produced, in at least one embodiment thereof by providing yarn along an entire bandwidth on a double needlebed machine, knitting a'full-width tubular portion and knitting, end-to-end thereto, a plurality of side-by-side spaced-apart partial-width tubular portions and an intervening medial strip disjoined from the partial-width portions, and then severing the medial strip along the junction thereof .with the base of the full-width portion between the junction of the full-width and partial-width portions. In other embodiments the partial-width portions may be reduced in length to openings at an end of the full-width tubular portion. Also, a medial partialwidth tubular portion (or opening) may replace the medial strip at one end and accommodate the wearers neck. For further embodiments openings at the side of such full-width tube may be provided to accommodate the wearers arms, with elimination of corresponding openings on the end thereof.

FIG. 1 shows article band 11 as produced according to this invention, broken away at each end and with intermediate portions thereof also broken away to conserve space of illustration. It will be understood that such an article hand is produced endlessly as long as the knitting machine is supplied with yarn and is operated to produce it. Large elliptical broken lines l2indicate the circumferential extent of full-width tubular poru'ons 11B, and transverse solid lines 13 surrounded thereby indicate loci for severing of the band in formation of individual articles as garment blanks. Small elliptical broken lines 14 indicate the circumferential extent of partial-width tubular portions 11A, and transverse solid line 15 indicates asevering locus for the par- The knitting method for fabricating such a product tial-width tubular portions and for intervening medial free of lateral openings may be visualized readily by strip 11C (shown shaded), which is flanked by but dispersons ordinarily skilled in the warp-knitting art, espejoined from the partial-width tubular portions, while cially as practiced on a double needlebed machine shorter transverse solid lines 17 indicate severing loci 5 (Raschel, tricot, or the like), through consideration of for the medial strip itself between the junction of full- 8 specific example a provided below in tables of chain width tubular portions B and partial-width tubular poradings for the yarn guide bars and the starting points tions A. Each severing locus 17 is located between the therefor, g r With h a mpanying stitch diajunction of one of full-width tubular portions 118 to its gram n ciated description. For the exemplified adjoining partial-width tubular ortion A and losely 10 construction a total of 10 guide bars will suffice; when adjacent base edge 11E of medial part 11D (shown a .l4-bar machine is employed, the guides of the two shaded differently from medial strip C) of full-width tufrommost and two fealmost bars will be left b l ti 11B Th id h f di l part 11D d threaded. The reference numerals for the guide bars f b d E h f) exceeds h idth f di l are underlined or italicized to distinguish them from strip 11C slightly, i.e., by the aggregate space between 15 low-numbered reference numerals for other parts.

the side edge of medial strip 11C and the adjacent Th fi s table gives the starting p edges of partial-width tubular portions 11A. 7 TABLE I FIG. 2a shows individual article or garment blank 21,

such as may be formed by severing article band 11 of Starting Points FIG. 1 as indicated thereon, useful as panty hose. This Beiwee" Needllezs article comprises tubular body portion 21B with medial Right 4 2 pan 21D extending from the waist or top edge down Right 5 2 1. the middle of the front and back to base edge 21E beg g 321:2? tween the junctions of the body portion to tubular leg Left 8 4 143,144 portions 21A. The cuffs of the leg portions may be fit- 25 gi t ted with hold-down strips to fit under the feed if de- Right 11 2 sired; alternatively they may be sewn shut, preferably Right l2 2 1,2 after being cut to simulate the foot outline. if is'finli i'l he" with from needlebar FIG. 2b shows individual article 31, also formable by severing article blank 11 of FIG. 1, useful as a panty FIG. 3 shows a preferred threading arrangement for girdle. This article differs from that of FIG. 2A in havuse according to this invention. The guide bar numbers ing leg portions 31A considerably shorter, being inappear at the right, where brackets indicate nesting of tended to extend only part of the way down the thighs, bars 5 and 6, and of bars 9 and 10. Each bandwidth is than full-length leg portions 21A of article 21. Body 360 needles, whereupon an 1,800 needle machine portion 318 thereof is narrower than body portion 218 35 would be capable of poducing five bands simultaof the FIG. 1 article, primarily because medial part 31D neously. Threaded yarn guides of the respective bars is narrower than corresponding part 21D. The narroware indicated by small dots or circles. Intermediate poring is attributable to contraction induced by spandex tions of the first band, as well as most of the second yarn content, eitherin the medial part or in the parts band and all of additional bands, are broken away to flanking the medial part (or in both the medial and the simplify the illustration by avoiding needless repetition. flanking parts). I The further description is limited to a single band.

FIG. 20 shows article 41, which differs from article The next table gives the pattern chain readings, alter- 31 by having only leg openings 41A and 418 in place nate rows being designated for the front (F) and back of the previous tubular leg portions. Medial part 41D (B) needlebeds, respectively.

TABLE II Left (double chain) drum Right drum 6 7 8 9 Right drum Guide bar No 3 4 5 A B A B A B A B 10 11 12 Needlebed:

is like panel 31D of FIG. 3, and the crotch portion The left and right references are toapattern drum with thereby is knitted closed as before. two chains for each of certain guide bars such as on the A Raschel machine suited to making products of this aforementioned Fashion Master machine which has invention is disclosed in my patent application, filed associated mechanism to provide essentially instantajointly with Walter LjDiehl on Sept. 13 1968 as Ser. neous transfer from one set of chains to another, No. 759,587, and in Diehl et al., U. 8. Pat. No. thereby interchanging from partial-width (A-pattern) 3,555,853. Such a machine is the Fashion Master t0 fU11-Width(B-Pa1tem)and back as desired, the interavailable from Colman-Cooker Com G m i change being accomplished at a location where the A- North Carolina, Another, v more versatil a link for each bar is the same as its B-link. As indicated knitting machine is disclosed in my U. S. Pat. No. 3b0Ve,the cemelmost four gui bars a e two patte 3,566,619 and is especially useful in making garment chains apiece and the drum therefor over which the fabrics having lateral openin s t ccommod t th chains are transported is at the left end of the machine wearers arms a ll as th t f d t l d whereas the drum for the chains for the other guide shown and described. bars is at the right end.

In visualization of a resulting fabric or in graphical representation of it, as on point paper, it should be remembered that the readings for the pattern links in the chains on the respective drums are oppositely directed, as an increase in link number indicates guide bar displacement from the corresponding drum end of the machine. A reading of indicates the smallest or reference-link location of the bars, and readings of 2, 4, and 6 indicate displacement thereof past one, two, and three needles, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a stitch diagram showing for each guide bar the results of movement of its threaded guides. For bars 6, 7, 8, and 9 both the A-pattern and B-pattern of movement are indicated. It is apparent that bars 3 and 4 form a double-tricot stitch pattern on the front bed (except at medial positions thereof where only one of the two bars is threaded) while bars 11 and 12 do likewise in the back bed. Throughout the operation the threaded guides of bars 5 and complete the same pattern at the outer edges at the extreme right and left of the band, thereby rendering those edges truly seamless.

During the A-pattern formation, i.e., when guide bars 6, 7, 8, and 9 are being actuated by the links of the A- pattern chains, as set forth in Table II, threaded guides of bars 7 and 8 function along the inner edges of the double-tricot pattern in like manner as bars 5 and 10 do at the outer edges, thereby seamlessly completing the pair of narrow or partial-width tubular portions of the article being knitted. Therebetween the other threaded guides of bars 7 and 8 similarly interconnect from front bed to back bed the outer edges of the medial strip, which is not tubular in form because yarns from guide bars 6 and 9 also are interconnecting from bedto bed to a modified tricot stitch while a simple tricot stitch is being formed on the respective beds by bars 3 and 12. During the A-pattern formation no yarn interconnects across the gap between the medial strip and the flanking partial-width tubular portions.

At the conversion from A-pattern to B-pattern formation and thereafter during the B-pattern, guide bars 6, 7, 8, and 9 all abandon their interconnecting movements between beds and form a pattern of Jersey stitching, bars 6 and 7 on the front bed only and bars 8 and 90h the back bed only. Although they are shogged past two needles, instead of only one as are bars 4 and 11 in the respective beds, they move likewise so that the edges of their patterns fit thereinto with partial overlapping. The B-pattern results in a single full-width tubular portion having seamless lateral edges and a distinguishable medial part comprising front and back panels extending from the front and back edges to meet in a knitted junction at the base edge thereof, where the medial strip extending between the partial-width portions also oins.

As indicated in FIG. 1, article band 11 as it comes off the machine comprises an endless series of full-width tubular portions and partial-width portions joined endto-end, with a medial strip joined at each end to the base edge of an adjacent full-width portion and disjoined from the flanking partial-width portions. Such hand then is severed transversely across the full-width portion and across the partial-width portions, and the medial strip is severed transversely at its opposite ends closely adjacent the base edge junctions. The resulting garment blank article may be turned inside out to conceal the latter cut edges if desired. The severed media] strip may be used as a scarf, belt, curtain tie-back, or for any other suitable use.

The yarns furnished to the guides participating in formation of the partial-width tubular portions normally will be uniform. Those furnished to the guides participating in formation of the medial part of the full-width tubular portion may be, and preferably will be, different therefrom. The medial part normally will contain not only more ends of yarn and, thus, more yarn per unit area, but also at least some of such yarn (such as that furnished to bars 6 and in the exemplified construction) may be heavier, of different color or luster, or of different elasticity, for example.

One desirable result of such difference in composition is that the medial part usually will be rendered opaque. When the end use of the article is as panty hose (see FIG. 2a) it often will be desired that the hose or partial-width tubular portions be quite sheer, as is completely possible by use of sufficiently fine denier yarn and fine-gauge machines. Alternatively, the hose portion may be made relatively heavy,.as in leotard and ski-pants uses, for example.

Incorporation of spandex yarn in the medial part of the panty or full-width tubular portion (as by furnishing it to the guides of bar 6 and optionally bar 9 also) will produce an article having figure-forming or girdle properties because of the contractile force attributable to the content of such yarn. This may be done in either the long (FIG. 2a) or short (FIG. 2b) legged article. The latter or panty-girdle style is more usual with large concentrations of spandex yarn. Not only may spandex yarn be used in the medial part, it also may be incorporated throughout the article if desired. The degree of elasticity in the rest of the gannent normally will (but need not) be less than in the medial part. Any leg length may be so composed. An overall elasticity or stretch property is especially desired in ski-pants, for example.

It will be understood, of course, that the illustration and description of panty hose and panty girdles is not exhaustive of the types of articles useful as nether garments that may be produced according to this invention. For example, the tubular leg portions of such articles may be minimized in length to mere pair of circular openings 41A of panty blank 41, as shown in FIG. 20, wherein medial part 411D (although separately defined by stippling) may be identical with the rest of body portion 418. A few courses (usually several repetitions of the A pattern) will suffice to form the medial closure at the junction to the body portion, providing a severing locus for a pair of adjacent panty garment blanks. Moreover, in the articles with leg portions the extra medial part therebetween may be made in tubular instead of strip form with either a closed or an unclosed junction to the body portion and in the latter event may be sewn shut before or after being severed near the junction with the full-width portion; alternatively, the extra medial part may even be partly unknitted yarns to be cut away likewise from a closed junction to the medial part of the body portion.

The versatility of this invention will become even more apparent upon consideration of the next few diagrams, which illustrate representative fabric constructions interchangeable with one another at loci of conversion between single and multiple tubular portions and other structures. FIGS. 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, and 9a are diagrammatic plan views showing (fragmentarily) sepa- FIG. a and at the right of FIG. 9a. The single-thickness panel parts are formed at their edges into tubes in some instances and along their faces into double-thickness strips in other instances. Corresponding parts in the respective views have reference numerals ending in the same digit prefixed by the FIG. numeral: such as front double-thickness constructions. Thus, in FIG. 8a left front and rear panel parts 82 and 86 are joined at coextensive junction 80, while right front and rear panel parts 84 and 88 are joined likewise at junction 89. In FIG. 9a front and rear panels 91 and 92 are so joined at junction 90. Such junctions are shown in stitch form v in FIGS. 8b and 9b, in which the back-to-front interconnecting yams are shown heavy, both solid and broken. Of course, in FIG. 9b the medial lateral junction panel side parts 52, 54; 62, 64; 72, 74; 82, 84. junctions within the respective panels is analogous to that of FIG. and free (not cut away) edges are shaded. FIGS. 5b, 6b, 5b. It will be understood that in the interest of clarity 7b, 8b, and 9b are point patterns or stitch diagrams for some of the individual yarns have been omitted. the constructions of corresponding FIGS. 5 a to 9a and FIG. 10 is a further ten-bar threading diagram for use are located in alignment therebelow, with doubleaccording to this invention. The starting links are listed, ended arrows indicating the regions of potential interand the starting points are apparent (e.g., 1,2 for bar changing or conversion from one construction to an- 1). FIG. 11 presents point patterns for alternate fullother. width single tubular portions and three side-by-side Thus FIG. 5a represents parallel front and rear fabric partial-width tubular portions joined lengthwise, and panels 51 and 55 spaced from one another in the thickchain readings therefor are set forth in the following taness direction. Shaded junction part 53 of the front ble.

TABLE III L1 It drum Right drum (i I T 7 I" X I! Right drum (11111101111: N0 I 3 4 5 A 11 A 11 A 11 A 14 10 11 12 panel 'joins flanking left and right side parts 52 and 54, FIG. 12 shows the configuration of resulting band and corresponding junction part 57 of the back panel 121 (much like the upper part of FIG. 1), while the corjoins left and right side parts 56 and 58 thereof likeresponding stitch construction appears in FIG. 15. wise. FIG. 5b will be interpreted in conjunction with The broken elliptical lines in FIG. 12 again indicate consideration of the next two pairs of views. the circumferential extent of tubular portions: here FIG. 6a represents left front and rear panel parts 62 lines 122 for full-width or body portion 1218, lines 124 and 66 joined at their illustrated adjacent edges by for pair of partial-width or leg portions 121A, and lines front-to-rear junction 60, as well as right front and rear 128 for intervening medial partial-width (narrower) panel parts 64 and 68 similarly joined by junction 69, portion 121C. Straight horizontal line 123 denotes the into resulting channel-shaped (or half tubular) struc- 4O severing locus between adjacent body portions of the tures. FIG. 6b shows corresponding fabric stitch conband, and pair of such lines 125 for the severing loci for struction, including a disjoined medial space. the leg portions. Severing line 127 for the medial tubu- FIG. 7a represents left front and rear panel parts 72 lar portion is near the junction to the full-width portion and 76 terminated at their free (right) edges 72 and instead of being aligned with 125, although for conve- 76', aligned with right front and rear panel parts 74 and nience 125 may be extended through the medial por- 78 terminated at their free left edges 74 and 78. FIG. tion as well (as 15 was in FIG. 1). Vertical lines within 7b has a medial disjunction space similar to that in FIG. full-width portion 121B bound medial part 121D 6b. thereof, which may or may not be different in yarn con- In the three sets of views just described the fabric struction from the flanking parts (as 11D was from 11B proper is knitted with yarns from two pairs of guide in FIG. 1). bars, one pair for each needlebed, the respective need- In FIG. 15, background bar 3 4, l1 and 12 yarns are lebeds being indicated by alternate horizontal solid shown as heavy and light single lines, both plain and lines for the front needlebed (F) and broken lines for beaded. Of course, many needle positions within the the back needlebed (B) as indicated at the left of FIG. lateral extent of the respective tubular portions are 5a. The illustrated tricot stitch is formed at the front by omitted. External connector bar 5 (plain double line) the respective background yarns shown in thick and and 10 (heavy solid line) yarns on front and back beds, thin solid lines, and at the back similar background respectively, join the outside edges of the full-width tuyarns shown in corresponding thick and thin broken bular portion and of the pair of partial-width leg porlines. Thus, in FIG. 5b, the connector yarns (controlled tions. Internal connector bar 6, 7, 8, and 9 yarns by their respective guide bars) stitch from side to side (shown, respectively as heavy cross-hatched double just as the background yarns do, thereby completing line, light cross-hatched double line, heavy beaded, and the respective panels without interruption in stitch constippled double line) interconnect the interior edges of tinuity; in FIG. 6b the connector yarns alternate their those leg portions and the edges of the medial portion stitching from bed to bed; and in FIG. 7b they stitch on to form the three side-by-side tubular portions of the A their respective beds only, and only along the edges thereof.

In FIGS. 8a and 9a one background yarn on each bed stitches alternately on the other bed thereby interconnecting single-thickness panels or parts thereof into pattern, and during the B pattern they simulate the movement of the background bars in forming the fullwidth tubular portion, always seamlessly.

In other, more or less similar embodiments the invention provides fabric articles useful as garments or garment blanks for the upper part of the body. Instead of utilizing the partial-width tubular portions as hose they may be used as sleeves, with the full-width tubular portion covering part of the trunk. In that event. the medial part of the base (i.e., now the top) edge of the fullwidth portion is left open for introduction of the head and neck, as may be done readily by forming the portion between the spaced apart partial-width tubular portions into a third tubular portion and severing it at such location, at or near the base edge, as will provide a desirable collar or turtleneck configuration. Alternatively, such medial portion may be formed into-two strips, one on each needlebed, and be similarly severed.

FIG. 13 shows band 131 of turtleneck sweater blanks before severing, and representative sweater 141 appears in FIG. 14. Turtleneck collar 142isformed from relatively wide medial tubular portion 131C outlined circumferentially by elliptical broken line 138, while pair of sleeves 133 are formed from flanking narrower partial-width tubular portions 131A outlined circumferentially by elliptical broken lines 134. Transverse severing locus 135 passes through all three elliptical broken lines. Of course, body portion 146 of the sweater corresponds to full-width tubular portion 131B outlined circumferentially by elliptical broken line 132 about transverse severing locus 133. The vertical lines within full-width portion 131B are imaginary construction lines bounding medial part 131D, which need not be distinguishable from the flanking parts of the fullwidth portion. The stitch diagram of FIG. 15 would represent such an article also upon provision of more needle positions for the medial part and fewer for the flanking parts, without change in the illustrated fabric construction.

Despite the flexibility of knitted goods, there areadvantages to laterally directed openings for the armholes, i.e., perpendicular to the neck opening instead of aligned with the neck opening at the top of the garment blank (as in FIG. 14). A disadvantage is the accompanying requirement for at least one additional pattern, with appropriate conversion thereto and thereform.

FIG. 16 is a 12-bar threading diagram useful in the knitting of sweater garment blanks with lateral arm openings. Chain readings therefor are set forth in the following tables: I

tubular body portion has a conjoined tubular neck portion and pair of laterally disjoined strips flanking the neck portion and joined lengthwise to the body portion. Arm openings perpendicular to the neck opening are located in the outer edge of the body portion beginning immediately below the junction with the respective strips.

In this garment blank of FIG. 17 (as well as in the succeeding blanks of FIGS. 18 and 19) the respective portions are denoted structurally according to the legend in FIG. 20, which can be seen to be analogous to FIGS. 6a to 9a (and in which the relative position of lateral parts is understood to be reversible). Thus, the body has parallel single-width construction v closed seamlessly at its vertical edges by construction w; a first conversion substitutes edge openings by interchanging construction x for w; a second conversion interchanges pair of (tubular) constructions w for the medial part of v, and interchanges double-thickness flanking strip construciton y for the flanking parts of v including the openings of x. It should be noted that the first conversion, according to the chain readings in Table IV, is not concurrent with the second conversion time.

way to a plurality of x constructions closed at the top edge by construction y.

FIG. 19 shows a leotard blank having leg portions formed of w constructions flanking a strip of y construction, converting to a v construction with w edges at the body portion, and converting along the edges to x constructions for the arm openings, and then converting to a full-width double-thickness su'ip construction 1 at the top. Access is provided by cutting and finishing a wide arcuate opening in the top edge. With a machine having guide bars individually controllable, as disclosed in my U. S. Pat. No. 3,563,060, the neck of this garment could be made seamlessly, as by con- TABLE IV structing the blank in five lateral zones (instead of (Left Drum) three), the outer two of which on each side would be 6 9 patterned for the leg tubes, and the middle three of 5O Guide bar No A B 7 s A B WhlCh would be used for the neck tube or Openlng. Nee%lebedz 0/2 2 2 2 2 Other complex garment blanks may be made similarly.

0 2 B 4 2/2 OUT OUT 7 4 It willbeunderstood that the foregomg embodiments F. 0 0 2/0 2/3 0/0 are intended as examples of the practice of the inven- B 0/0 0/0 W K tion, without limitation to number of wales or courses,

TABLE V (Right Drum) BABABABABABABABABAB A garment blank 171 so made according to FIG. 16 and Tables IV and V appears in FIG. 17, in which the which may be selected variously for various purposes. Of course, control of stitch and takedown tension and other variables permits fashioning of garment blanks wider or narrower as desired. Dimensions may be adjusted in finishing operations as well.

Notwithstanding the foregoing illustration and description of one or more embodiments and alternatives other modifications may be made, as by adding, combining, subdividing, or substituting components, parts, patterns or steps while retaining some or all of the advantages and benefits of this invention, which itself is defined in the following claims.

The claimed invention:

1. Process of making a tubular machine-knit sweater blank comprising warp-knitting a single full-width tubular portion extending for part of its length, including forming lateral openings at opposite sides for a minor part of the length of the full-width tubular portion in the vicinity of an end thereof while maintaining knitting stitch continuity, knitting a partial-width tubular portion joined with knitting stitch continuity at one end to a medial portion of that end of the full-width tubular portion and extending for a further part of the article length, knitting partial-width strips flanking and disjoined from the medial partial-width tubular portion and joined at one end to the same end of the full-width tubular portion, alongside the junction of the medial partial-width tubular portion thereto, and including subsequently severing the medial partial-width tubular portion at desired neck length and severing the flanking partial-width strips near their junction with the fullwidth tubular portion.

2. In warp knitting of tubular fabric by knitting a pair of like panels of fabric opposite one another and simultaneously knitting the opposing edges of the opposed panels together to complete the tubular configuration, the improvement comprising alternately so knitting according to a first pattern to form a single relatively wide tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit and so knitting according to a second pattern to form only a single relatively narrow medial tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit, including knitting successive relatively wide and relatively narrow tubular portions together end to end at the interchange between respective patterns, such interchange being accomplished essentially instantaneously with respect to the rate of course formation, and including knitting partial-width strips flanking and disjoined from the medial partial-width tubular portion and joined at one end to the same end of the full-width tubular portion, alongside the junction of' the medial partial-width tubular portion theretov 3. In warp knitting of tubular fabric by knitting a pair of like panels of fabric opposite one another and simultaneously knitting the opposing edges of the opposed panels together to complete the tubular configuration, the improvement comprising alternately so knitting according to a first pattern to form a single relatively wide tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit and so knitting according to a second pattern to form only a single relatively narrow medial tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit, including knitting successive relatively wide and relatively narrow tubular portions together end to end at the interchange between respective patterns, such interchange being accomplished essentially instantaneously with respect to the rate of course formation, and including the steps of forming lateral openings at opposite sides of a minor part of the length of the full width tubular portion, in the vicinity of junctions to the partial-width strips.

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1. Process of making a tubular machine-knit sweater blank comprising warp-knitting a single full-width tubular portion extending for part of its length, including forming lateral openings at opposite sides for a minor part of the length of the full-width tubular portion in the vicinity of an end thereof while maintaining knitting stitch continuity, knitting a partialwidth tubular portion joined with knitting stitch continuity at one end to a medial portion of that end of the full-width tubular portion and extending for a further part of the article length, knitting partial-width strips flanking and disjoined from the medial partial-width tubular portion and joined at one end to the same end of the full-width tubular portion, alongside the junction of the medial partial-width tubular portion thereto, and including subsequently severing the medial partial-width tubular portion at desired neck length and severing the flanking partialwidth strips near their junction with the full-width tubular portion.
 2. In warp knitting of tubular fabric by knitting a pair of like panels of fabric opposite one another and simultaneously knitting the opposing edges of the opposed panels together to complete the tubular configuration, the improvement comprising alternately so knitting according to a first pattern to form a single relatively wide tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit and so knitting according to a second pattern to form only a single relatively narrow medial tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit, including knitting successive relatively wide and relatively narrow tubular portions togetHer end to end at the interchange between respective patterns, such interchange being accomplished essentially instantaneously with respect to the rate of course formation, and including knitting partial-width strips flanking and disjoined from the medial partial-width tubular portion and joined at one end to the same end of the full-width tubular portion, alongside the junction of the medial partial-width tubular portion thereto.
 3. In warp knitting of tubular fabric by knitting a pair of like panels of fabric opposite one another and simultaneously knitting the opposing edges of the opposed panels together to complete the tubular configuration, the improvement comprising alternately so knitting according to a first pattern to form a single relatively wide tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit and so knitting according to a second pattern to form only a single relatively narrow medial tubular portion wherein a given number of courses determine a minimum repeating pattern unit, including knitting successive relatively wide and relatively narrow tubular portions together end to end at the interchange between respective patterns, such interchange being accomplished essentially instantaneously with respect to the rate of course formation, and including the steps of forming lateral openings at opposite sides of a minor part of the length of the full width tubular portion, in the vicinity of junctions to the partial-width strips. 